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Illinois rallies past Purdue women

This has become the season for the Purdue women's basketball team, especially at home. A similar script unfolded Saturday inside Mackey Arena as all three of those elements were factors in a 47-46 loss to Illinois.

Sound familiar? This has become the season for the Purdue women's basketball team, especially at home. A similar script unfolded Saturday inside Mackey Arena as all three of those elements were factors in a 47-46 loss to Illinois.

The losing streak that won't end now sits at eight – the program's longest in 31 years - with no end in sight. Finishing last in the 14-team Big Ten is closer to becoming reality for a fan base which is accustomed to contending near the top of the conference.

Purdue had a chance to win Saturday – similar to home losses to Ohio State, Northwestern and Penn State – but didn't deliver the winning plays, either in the first half or down the stretch. The Boilermakers couldn't even take advantage of the Fighting Illini missing 20 consecutive shots – yes, 20 – during a nine-minute stretch in the first half and held an eight-point lead.

Illinois won for the first time in West Lafayette since 2005 when junior Kyley Simmons drained a 3-pointer with 1:16 to play. Let this sink in – that was the Illini's only lead. It happened because the Boilermakers scored five points and committed seven of their 22 turnovers in the final 10 minutes in suffering their sixth straight home loss.

"The turnovers were horrendous today," coach Sharon Versyp said.

So were 21 offensive rebounds Purdue allowed, leading to 17 points.

Saturday wasn't the first time Versyp's team had a chance to win in the final seconds. Why do they struggle in those situations?

"I wish I could give you the answer," the ninth-year coach said.

Maybe the players could provide a glimpse into the troubles, but Versyp didn't make them available to the media. Liza Clemons pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds and added 11 points but that was it.

Although April Wilson missed a 3-pointer with 10 seconds to play with Purdue down one, not extending a 13-point lead in the first half is the bigger culprit. Just like earlier games, the Boilermakers cooled off after a solid start.

"Our spacing was poor, we got the ball down low and we started dribbling and there's three people around us," Versyp said. "That's where a lot of turnovers occurred. Tried to take a timeout since we haven't closed well. It takes all five players out on the court to work collectively."

The happiest person in Mackey Arena – Illini coach Matt Bollant. His team missed 27 of their first 30 attempts and was down only eight at halftime.

"This was the best I felt being down eight in a game in a long time," Bollant said. "I felt good being down eight because we did not play well offensively."

Bollant's team played well enough offensively in the second half and collected 18 steals, which lead to a handful of easy layups during a 15-5 run to close out the game. Freshman Chatrice White led the Illini with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Down by one with 21 seconds remaining, Versyp designed a play for Whitney Bays to take a jumper from the high post.

"She was wide open and she didn't take it," Versyp said. "Then, two people were on her and she gave it to April, who played great, played for 38 minutes. She had a shot and we didn't get that."

Another opportunity was presented. After Ivory Crawford missed a free throw, the Boilermakers had to go the length of the court in 5.8 seconds. However, the Illini didn't allow Wilson to get the ball and the rest of the play didn't develop quickly enough for Purdue to get a decent shot.

"Just set a screen and as a point guard, you get open," Versyp said. "I don't' think we waited long enough for April to get open – I think we panicked."

Purdue freshman Justin Hall didn't attend the game after suffering a migraine following the team's morning shootaround.